Anyone's Daughter from the Stuttgart area were established in 1972 and played progressive rock. Their debut album 'Adonis' was published in 1979. The track 'Anyone's daughter' is from their second album 'Anyone's daughter' (Spiegelei, 1980).

Birth Control celebrated their 40-year jubilee in 2008! The track 'Before the sun will rise' is from their second album 'Operation' (Ohr, 1971), which a lot of their fans consider it's their best album. The provocative cover (giant grasshopper eating little babies as the Pope watches) attracted much attention. The track 'Trial trip' is from the album 'Plastic people' (CBS, 1975), when Birth Control turned into a more progressive direction.

Bröselmaschine from Duisburg belong to the German rockbands of the first hour. The track 'Gedanken' is from their debut album 'Bröselmaschine', which was published in 1971 on the Pilz label. The music is sophisticated folk rock, influenced by guitar player Peter Bursch.

Coupla Prog were appreciated guests of the German radio station SWF, which invited the band four times between 1970 and 1972 to produce their music under studio conditions. The track 'Goodbye, guns, be by gones' is from the album 'Sprite - SWF Sessions Volume 2' (Longhair, 2000).

The band Die Anderen, who later changed their name to Apocalypse, originated from a talent competition, a 'beat band ball', which occurred in the city of Kiel in 1966. There, Jürgen Drews (lead guitar, vocals) met the competition winner Chimes Of Freedom. The track 'Let it die' is from the album 'Apocalypse' (Ariola, 1968).

Dschinn originated from the band 'Dischas' and published only one album 'Dschinn' (Bacillus, 1972). They played hard-rock, their singer and their lead guitarplayer were amazing. The track 'Rock'n Roll Dschinny' was only published on the 2-LP compilation 'Mama Rock And The Sons Of Rock'n Roll' (Bacillus, 1976).

After the split of the first Dzyan formation, which published only one record, Reinhard Kawatky established a trio that took over the name of the band and recorded two further albums. The track 'Back to where we come from' is from the last album 'Electric Silence' (Bacillus, 1974), a mix of jazz-rock and avantgarde elements.

Eloy from Hannover are one of the oldest and most successful German bands. Their best albums are their second and third one (Inside and Floating). The track 'Future city' is from the album 'Inside' (Harvest, 1973).

The band from Marburg originated from the group Karthago, who played Nice compositions. The excellent keyboard work stands out as well as the deep and powerful vocals. The track '2-Four-4' is from the first album 'Epsilon' (Bacillus, 1971).

Wolfgang Dauner on a Krautrock compilation once again? Sure! The debut album of Et Cetera cannot be compared with any other Wolfgang Dauner record. Even the other Et Cetera albums sound entirely different. 'Et Cetera' is a crazy Krautrock avant-garde jazz record. This is no jazz-rock at all! We introduce the tracks 'Lady Blue' and 'Mellodrama Nr. 2 A'.

Eulenspygel was one of the first German bands who dared the transfer from English to German lyrics. The critical lyrics are doubtful on state and society. The tracks 'Die Wunde bleibt' and 'Staub auf deinem Haar' are from the album '2' (Spiegelei, 1971), whose scandal cover with the burned chicken was replaced by less provocative version.

Fashion Pink, established in 1968, played lively and powerful hard progressive rock. In 1969, the German radio station SWF started to look for talented upcoming bands. Fashion Pink was the first of many young bands who could participate in the recording sessions. Between 1970 and 1971, they were invited four times in order to record under live studio conditions. At the end of 1970, they decided to change the name to 'Fashion Prick'. Because it was impossible to get a record contract with this name, they choose the name 'Brainstorm' instead. In 1972, Brainstorm finally published their first record 'Smile a while' on the Spiegelei label. The track 'Brainstorming' is from the album '... to brainstorm' (Longhair, 2000), which contains some of the SWF recordings.

Faust were the product of the journalist Uwe Nettelbeck. The idea was to create a band that could match with Can and Kraftwerk. Six almost unknown musicians moved into an old schoolhouse in the city of Wümme and stayed there for one year, sponsored by the Polydor label with a huge amount of money. In 1971, they created their self-titled debut album, an extraordinary and crazy masterpiece even for today's standards, which received a very bad response by the German music press. Their single Jennifer (from the So Far album) reached position 13 in the UK charts instead. The track 'The sad skinhead' is from their fourth album 'IV', released in 1973 by Virgin Records who hyped and advertised it using the term 'Krautrock'.

The band from Witten was established in 1969. In 1971, they published their debut album 'Sensemann', which consisted of only two long tracks with German lyrics. The track 'Peterlied' is from their second album 'Rock in Deutsch' (Zebra, 1973), the track 'Bock auf Rock' from their third one 'Wir haben Bock auf Rock' (Aladin, 1977). However, we introduce the original single version, the B-side of the single 'Au Weia, Mensch Meier' (Philips, 1975).

Gila was established in 1969 in Stuttgart and published two albums. The track 'Kommunikation' is from their debut album 'Gila' (BASF, 1971), a fascinating mix of cosmic, experimental, folk and psychedelic components.

Like Birth Control, Guru Guru celebrated their 40-year jubilee in 2008. The band of the drummer Mani Neumeier had a lot of crew changes. The track 'Der LSD-Marsch' is from their debut album 'UFO' (Ohr, 1972) and keeps the promise the title suggests.

The band from Bonn published two albums. The scope ranged from psychedelic blues-rock to progressive tracks. The track 'It must be an officer's daughter' is from their second album 'Can't get through' (Bacillus, 1971).

The gimmix sleeve (it looks like a color slide) of the sole album 'Hazecolor Dia' (Bacillus, 1971) was created by designer Walter Seyffer, who also created the cover of the Nine Days Wonder debut album and was their singer, too. Haze play interesting hard-rock that reminds of the music of early Nektar or Message. The vocalist has a weird, but interesting voice. We introduce the track 'Fast career'.

The band was established in 1970. Their first album 'Hoelderlins Traum' (Pilz, 1972) has German lyrics and is a Krautrock classic. From the second album 'Hoelderlin' (Spiegelei, 1975) on, the lyrics are English, instead of folkrock with psychedelic elements they play progressive rock that reminds of King Crimson or Genesis. The track 'Nürnberg' is from the album 'Hoelderlin'.

Jerusalem were established in 1969. In a very short time, they created a live program consisting of their own compositions and soon were the main attraction of the Landau music szene. They recorded several tracks at the SWF radio studio, which were published on the album 'Violence Fog / Jerusalem' (Longhair, 2001, first publication). We introduce the track 'Moon's new way'.

The band from Offenburg recorded 9 tracks at 2 SWF recording sessions on in 1972 and 1974, which were published on the album 'SWF Sessions Volume 1' (Longhair, 2000, first publication). Jud's Gallery play a mix of melodic rock, hard-rock and folk. Some tracks, in which a violin is used, remind of Parzival. Apart from that, I take the liberty to compare the music with UFO during their 'Phenomenon' phase or early Wishbone Ash. We introduce the track 'Follow me'.

The Swiss band published five excellent albums between 1969 and 1973, which attracted interest abroad due to their progressive arrangements. Rightfully the band was characterized as a mix of Amon Düül II and Man. The tracks 'And I know' and 'Marzipan' are from the album 'Getting up for the morning' (Bacillus, 1972).

Basically, the band Mammut existed only three weeks for the recording of their sole album 'Mammut' (Mouse/Motofonie, 1971). Because of its excellent production, the album is considered as a milestone of progressive rock of the early 70's in Germany.

The Swiss band published their sole album 'Delusion' on the Pilz label in 1971. Influences of British bands like UFO, Black Sabbath and Jethro Tull are clearly recognizable. We introduce the track 'What are you doin'.

The band was established in 1968 by the Düsseldorf bassplayer Horst Stachelhaus. Their first albums are Krautrock classics that contain interesting hard-rock with progressive and experimental components. The track 'Heaven knows' is from their first album 'The dawn anew is coming' (Bacillus, 1972).

The band from Rüsselsheim was established in 1968 and published their sole album in 1970 on the Bacillus label. Hardrock, enhanced with psychedelic elements, transformed clubs and halls into boiling pots. We introduce the track 'The Executioner'.

The Berlin band of multiinstrumentalist Stephan Kaske published five albums between 1971 and 1980 with a changing crew. The track 'Harry Chanceless' is from the fourth album 'Concrete City' (Venus, 1979).

The band was established in 1969 in Hamburg and is regarded as product of German rock music in spite of consisting exclusively of British musicians. Nektar is still active! The track 'Do you believe in magic' is from the album 'Sounds like this' (Bacillus, 1973).

Nine Days Wonder, who lived in a Mannheim flat-sharing community, published four albums between 1971 and 1976 LPs with changing crews. Their sophisticated debut 'Nine Days Wonder' (Bacillus, 1971) received excellent reviews and is influenced by 'The Mothers Of Invention'. We introduce the track 'Drag dilemma' from this album.

The excellent live qualities of Odin resulted in the attention of record companies. They published their sole album 'Odin' in 1972 on the Vertigo label. The track 'Make up your mind' is from the album 'Odin SWF Session 1973' (Longhair, 2007, first publication).

With some of the members of his previous band Motherhood, Doldinger established the jazz-rock band 'Passport' in 1971. The first two albums 'Passport' and 'Second passport' are especially interesting for rock music fans. We introduce the track 'Uranus' from the debut album 'Passport' (Atlantic, 1971).

The band from Marburg played an excellent blend of progressive rock and classical music. They published five albums between 1972 and 1981. The track 'Friend' is from their debut album 'Marburg' (Bacillus, 1972).

Peter Baumann

Peter Baumann, members of the Philharmonic Orchestra Munich

As a member of Tangerine Dream, Peter Bauman participated in the creation of an important chapter of German rock history. His synthesizer sound experiments were - similar to the work of bands like Can or Kraftwerk - groundbreaking for the electronic rock music of the 80s. The track 'Bicentennial Present' is from his debut album 'Romance 76' (Virgin, 1976).

Rufus Zuphall from Aachen played progressive rock with folky elements, which occasionally reminds of early Jethro Tull due to the use of the flute. The track 'Freitag' is from the debut album 'Weiß der Teufel' (Good Will, 1971).

Sahara from Munich arose from the band Subject Esq. and published two albums. They played ambitious progressive rock, influenced from the great bands of this era like Yes, King Crimson or Pink Floyd. The track 'The mountain king part 1 & 2' is from the second album 'For all the clowns' (Pan, 1974).

Subject Esq. was a constant in the Munich progressive rock scene. Far away from the typical Krautrock sound, they developed their very own style. After they made a record deal with the Ariola label, they changed their name to 'Sahara'. The track 'Mammon' is from their sole album 'Subject Esq.' (Epic, 1972).

Sweet Smoke were established in the USA in 1967. They settled down in Germany and soon had a lot of fans. They signed a record deal with the Harvest label in 1970. The track 'Kundalini' is from their second and last album 'Darkness to light' (Harvest, 1972).

The Berlin electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream have been active for almost 40 years now and published dozens of albums, from which the first ones can be classified as Krautrock. The track 'Coldwater canyon' is from the live double LP 'Encore' (Virgin, 1977).

Thirsty Moon from Bremen published five albums between 1972 and 1981. Their music is a mix of progressive rock, jazz and fusion. The track 'Black clouds' is from the live record 'I'll be back - Live '75' (Longhair, 2006, first publication).

Thrice Mice from Hamburg published their sole album in 1971 on the Philips label. Straight, melodic rock tracks were spiced with improvisations, jazzy elements, complex sax duets and the introduction of big-band like brass sections. Two of the musicians later established the band 'Altona'. We introduce the track 'Jo Joe'.

The 'psychedelic hard-rockers' from Frankfurt originated from the band 'Second Life'. They published two albums on the Bacillus label. The music is not adequate for the sophisticated listener, however it has its moments. The track 'Help for a blind man' is from their second album 'We're the tiger bunch' (Bacillus, 1974), on which they are supported by many well-known musicians.

Guitar player Toto Blanke attracted attention with his own band Electric Circus as well as with the German-Dutch avant-garde jazz-band Association PC. The track 'PPG' is from the album 'Toto Blanke & Electric Circus' (Bacillus, 1976).

Udo Lindenberg played as a drummer in many important bands (Passport, Emergency, Kravetz), before he published his first own album 'Lindenberg' in 1971 on the Telefunken label. His next album 'Daumen im Wind' was released in 1972 on the Telefunken label as well, and from that time on he continued with German lyrics. Thanks to Udo that German lyrics in rock music were finally accepted. The track 'Cowboy Rocker' is from the album 'Ball Pompös' (Telefunken, 1974). The famous German comedian Otto Waalkes and the singer Inga Rumpf appear on this album as guests. Udo is still excellent in his business. His one and only number one album was released - this year 2008!

Violence Fog were established in 1969 from members of other bands in the Baden-Baden area. Soon they were able to perform successful live performances. Besides their own compositions, cover versions from 'Brother where are you' (Remo Four) and 'Paint it black' (Rolling Stones) belonged to their repertoire. In 1971 they recorded some tracks at the SWF radio studio, published on the album 'Violence Fog / Jerusalem' (Longhair, 2001, first publication). We introduce the track 'Rolli Zink'.

Virus came from the Bielefeld area and published two albums with different members. While the debut album 'Revelation' (BASF, 1970) consisted of never ending tracks with spacy excursions, the second album 'Thoughts' is more song-oriented and a very exciting album. The track 'King Heroin' is from the album 'Thoughts' (Pilz, 1971).

Before they became a commercial pop group Wallenstein from Mönchengladbach published five interesting progressive rock albums between 1971 and 1977. The track 'Braintrain' is from their best record 'Mother Universe' (Pilz, 1972), as well as 'Golden antenna'. Grosskopf, Dollase and Berkers played as guest musicians on many Ohr and Kosmische Kuriere productions.

The musicians Bernd Witthüser & Walter Westrupp published four studio and one live album between 1970 and 1973. The duo sang in German, which was unique and adventurous for this period of German rock music. The track 'Wenn ich ein wenig fröhlicher wär' is from the first album 'Von Nonnen, Vampiren und Toten' (Ohr, 1970), which was named only Bernd Witthüser as the artist. The track 'Das Märchen vom Königssohn' is from the album 'Bauer Plath' (Pilz, 1972), which included, amongst others, three musicians of Wallenstein.

The album 'The OIMELS' (MPS, 1970) is an insider tip for Krautrock lovers. Wolfgang Dauner broke all the rules and presented himself as psychedelic-jazz-pop-band. It is an extraordinary album in all respects with fuzz guitar, sitar sounds and other freakouts. Even the Beatles track 'A day in the life' is covered. 'The oimels' is the answer to the desire of the former MPS-Records boss to enter musical virgin soil. We introduce the track 'Take off your clothes to feel the setting sun'.